Today, we are so happy to report that we have been nominated by Le Journal d’un Pigeon Voyageur (diary of a carrier pigeon) for a Liebster Award. The process is quite simple, a blog nominates 11 others blogs for the award and asks 11 questions to those. The nominees are then answering all the questions asked, also provides 11 facts about them and then nominates 11 others blogs with 11 new questions for them.
11 facts about Olielo
Olielo, the name of our website, is the combination of Oli (Olivier) and Elo (Elodie), our first names!
We should have been born on the very same day but since Elodie came out 3 weeks in advance, she is 3 weeks older than me!
If we were animals, we would both be cats, because we love the comfortable places, we don’t need to talk too much, we enjoy relaxing and taking some rest, we love our freedom and last but not least, we like to eat nice meals!
We don’t drink a lot of alcohol. Sometimes, a cup of Champagne or a sweet white wine to start a nice evening but usually not more.
We blog as a couple which isn’t so common. We initiated the project to live nice experiences and one day maybe live from our dreams.
Elodie rarely orders her own dessert when we are at the restaurant but always eat at least half of mine!
I had to attempt my driving license examination 3 times to finally pass it successfully but luckily, this is the only examination I failed during my life so far. And this is the same for Elodie, she attempted it 7 times before passing with success!
For the breakfast, Elodie only drinks decaffeinated coffee while I usually only drink fruit juice like pineapple juice.
We are news junkie. We both like to watch TV reports.
While we were young, we loved to watch Dallas on TV. Last year, we had the opportunity to visit the Ewing ranch next to Dallas and now Elodie wants to have the same bathroom as Sue Ellen!
The first time we took the helicopter was in 2014, to visit the Grand Canyon, next to Las Vegas.
Four Seasons Las Vegas Strip view
11 answers to questions asked by Le Journal d’un Pigeon Voyageur
When did you start to blog?
We started to work on Olielo in December 2013 and then we opened the website to visitors in March 2014 after 3 months of hard work to build the structure and prepare some content. Our blog is focused on hotels right now, we write posts about our hotels stays but also hotel restaurants and hotel spas. We also write posts about destinations such as Las Vegas where we have been in June 2014.
What do travels bring to you?
Travels are the opportunity to discover new places and a different mindset. They also bring a fresh energy. While you go to different locations around the world, you can feel specific atmospheres and vibrations. It is always a nice experience for us. We spend a lot of time preparing our travels. Then we enjoy every minute of our travel and when we are back, we enjoy reminding the good times we had there.
How do you prepare your travels?
When we prepare a travel, we usually first think about the weather to make sure we aren’t going somewhere when the weather isn’t really appropriate at that time. Still we try to avoid periods where locations are too crowded such as French Riviera in Summer. Then, we check the hotels to find out which ones would be appealing for us. A good location is important together with a nice view. Then we pay attention to the decoration of the rooms. A bathtub is good for us to relax. We are also looking for services such as a swimming pool, a spa and a nice restaurant.
If you had to live in a city, which one would you select?
Hard to say! We live in Paris. We love the temperate climate of France, never too cold or too hot. Then we really enjoyed the multiple stays we had in Monaco. It is a very nice place. But probably a bit too expensive today to live there…
Have you ever been to a country in Africa and what was your feeling following this travel?
Yes, I have been to Senegal and South Africa. I really enjoyed both. They are very different. Senegal was pretty much influenced by France. People there are speaking French and it is quite easy to make contacts and discuss with locals. South Africa was more influenced by Holland and population is more diverse. Also, the infrastructure is quite developed in South Africa where you can find very modern areas. In both countries, people are very friendly, they don’t necessary own a lot but they have the most important : a big heart.
What are your targets for your blog for 2015?
Well, we worked really hard in 2014 to write a lot of content for it. If we manage to maintain the same rate of publication, it would be a good achievement. Then if we manage to develop our communities at the same speed, it will be good as well.
What was your worst experience while traveling?
Luckily, we didn’t have really bad experiences. Probably because we are spending a lot of time to perform our planning. So we are usually almost clear on what we will get in the hotels we select. We had some funny stories but they always ended up pretty well.
What is the craziest travel you had organized (for you or someone else)?
Maybe the travel we did to Las Vegas in June 2014. Vegas is just crazy. You can’t really imagine how it is until you really get there. We spend hours checking every hotel to find out which one would bring us the most memorable experience and we haven’t been disappointed. It was really incredible. There is no other place like this one in the world.
Have you visited a country where you had the hope to live there permanently, if yes, which one and why?
Well, France! There is all the diversity you can expect in France. But if we think outside of France, maybe Monaco that is really special for us. We love this place because it is so nice, the panorama is outstanding and then the restaurants and hotels are really high end.
What are the 5 places you would like to visit in 2015?
In 2015, we would like to get to Dubai. Thailand and Mauritius are also high on our agenda. Then we might get back to USA and Monaco again. Also some short trips to Europe will certainly happen such as Switzerland, Italy and UK.
What are, for you, the qualities of a travel blog?
The first one is to publish regularly fresh content. The second one is to have nice pictures. Travel is about discovering new things. Pictures are the best way to relate those. Then you also need to think beyond the blog. Having a strong community on the social channels is mandatory today to make the blog a success. This is the way to connect with people and build a strong audience.
Blogs we are nominating for a Liebster Award
Here is our list of blogs nominated for a Liebster Award :
Rêver d’ailleurs
A Luxury Travel Blog
My cherry on the cake
11 questions asked to the nominated blogs
1/ What makes your blog unique versus others?
2/ Why did you open your blog? What are your targets with it?
3/ What was your most memorable travel experience?
4/ What is your preferred city and why?
5/ Where would you dream to travel to?
6/ What are your travel plans for 2015?
7/ What was your best hotel experience and why?
8/ What was your best restaurant experience and why?
9/ Which travels modified your vision of life and your behavior?
10/ What are the 5 objects you always bring with you while traveling?
11/ How do you select your travel destinations?
